"I've probably given plenty of people cause not to like me," admits O'Connor. cover story that year. Now, O'Connor owned and operated four different venues with four different configurations: a 3,000-seat indoor room, a 4,000-seat outdoor space, a 1,400-seat indoor venue, and a smaller club-sized room within La Zona. Not only did Nelson play Castle Creek, he also offered to take O'Connor on the road. We will miss you and love you always, MeMe. Express your condolences with flowers sent to Christopher's family, Share your thoughts and memories of Christopher, Share your thoughts and memories with family and friends of Christopher. "He called me into his office and said, 'Tim, I just want to let you know I think you did a great job, but I think you're maybe just a little ahead of us. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Even so, merely owning La Zona added value to Direct Events. Individuals can donate to APA! The last act to play La Zona Rosa under OConnors ownership was Prince at SXSW 2013. Charles Attal has spent the past five years receiving a crash course in concert economics at Stubb's. While he's used venues like the Mercury and Antone's to stage larger shows in the off-season, he also runs the risk those clubs will eventually cut him out of the deal. Grabbing Nelson's beloved guitar Trigger, pushing the country music icon into a waiting car, and beating a hasty retreat, O'Connor had no idea that the cowboys rushing the stage were merely fans who loved Willie and wanted to show their appreciation. After staying out drinking until 4am the evening before a three-day blues festival at the Opera House featuring Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, O'Connor says he realized he had two choices. Like Lance Armstrong, O'Connor just couldn't walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. Maybe it's yet another O'Connor business strategy. His warning shot ended up going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting the leg of a Columbia Records executive inside. "Willie had long been my songwriting hero," explains O'Connor, "and out of the blue, he just walked in, asked for me, and said, 'Hi. Backed by the national clout of Pace, now part of the larger SFX group, O'Connor believes he's been able to bring more shows to town at competitive prices. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Although O'Connor admits there's still "conversations at different levels" about how the deal might be salvaged, he says a group of well-financed smaller promoters could perhaps team up to purchase the Backyard. Download it here. Forecast: Severe storms possible Thursday, KVUE remembers the 2018 Austin bombings, 5 years later, Timeline: Severe storms possible on Thursday, Austin Pets Alive! Willie's hippies may have gotten along with the Opera House staff, but promoters running in tandem with O'Connor often found the going difficult, to say the least. Although the Backyard wound up proving Austinites would indeed go out of their way for atmosphere and talent, O'Connor's next move brought him downtown. O'Connor's fuse may be longer these days, but one crossed signal could end the deal. Tom will be remembered at a memorial service at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, October 16, 2010, at the Cook-Walden/Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home on Anderson Mill Road. "But to get a major company to sit down and have the same general plan -- a plan that doesn't compete with the city or the design of the developments around the facility -- is very challenging. "I'm open to the possibility we can do something collectively that we can't on our own -- to protect the Austin market," reasons O'Connor. I felt lost, without a home, he told Chris Riemenschneider of the, By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. "The first chance he had back in Austin, he fired me," reveals O'Connor. Gail O'Connor's Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2019 from 5:30 to 9:00 pm at The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St. , Austin, TX. "Mark my words, if you think it's difficult now, give it 24 months. Along with Wilson's Armadillo, and the One Night, Soap Creek, Split Rail, and Broken Spoke, there was the Checkered Flag, a fledgling beer joint on Lavaca owned by future Kerrville overseer Rod Kennedy and his partner Allen Damron. I believe it's given me an edge as a competitor and given us a distinct advantage as a company.". We were going to see what we could work out together, as opposed to being at each other's throats.". Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news. Receive a notification when services are updated. "As more acts came to town that had witnessed the growth of the concert industry nationally, the relaxed, laid-back Austin approach wasn't as effective," O'Connor explains. (Austin Pets Alive! During the same period, he rented Laguna Beach High's gym for $50 and threw a concert featuring a semi-popular local band. In the Opera House days, O'Connor cut his costs and launched a successful business with Brad Meyer by starting Star Tickets; they not only made money selling tickets for other venues, but they were able to keep the money from the Opera House in-house and available. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. O'Connor recalls that only one friend, Texicalli Grille's Danny Young, believed it would work. I'm not sure if I said it or not, but I knew right then that I was willing to carry this guy's guitar to hell.". That facsimile of the original Backyard was not what Tim Whats Next? OConnor had in mind for his legacy venue. October 14, 1949 - April 16, 2015, Timothy O'Connor passed away on April 16, 2015 in De Pere, Wisconsin. And to some degree, it's also about admitting what I've done wrong. Absolutely not. I remember certain nights with Steve Goodman or John Prine where I physically threw people out for talking. Check out the rescue video: https://t.co/HdqwH1zKJo Help out today by donating to their rescue and care: https://t.co/H4ndUa1g7M pic.twitter.com/PBL0nIXOWm, Willie Nelsons daughters and OConnors goddaughters, Paula and Amy Nelson, were able to find homes for four of them. There will be a reception following the service. "His Willie thing was a phenomenon," exclaims Wilson. One of OConnors rules was that you cant trust someone who doesnt love dogs. By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. That arrest led the state of California to declare him an emancipated juvenile; he could now be tried for adult crimes. Kansas State University was the next institution to ask O'Connor not to return. "That's where I learned to present the best show -- show by show. Willie is the Muhammad Ali of white people, yet running in tandem with his crowd is a something a lot of people can't do.". What's done is done. "It was part of the game, because he wouldn't come in until that was the last resort. on its website. Of course, I didn't really go anywhere. Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor just couldnt walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. He loved staying busy. "I'm known for being a guy that keeps a lot of things to myself. We're not bidding shows up 30-40% anymore.". The Austin Music Hall was repossesssed in 2012 by OmniBank, which lent OConnor the money for the razing and rebuilding. Ruling the roost is an unpopular business, and over the years, O'Connor's reputation has often overshadowed his accomplishments. What a mistake it was to tear down the Music Hall to build a new one that was worse than the old one. He was born on May 19, 1954 to the late Ernest Joseph and Rose Mary (Smith) O'Connor. It was there in the former Chequered Flag folk club on Lavaca, that OConnor met new Austin resident Willie Nelson. Help For more information on these two furry friends and how you can help, visit APA! There was something about that room- maybe Sarah Elizabeth Campbells Bummer Night on Tuesdays set the mood- but youd get sadness at its most comfortable. It was a messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations. *Please note that the service will not be at a Keever facility, so please have flowers sent directly to the Hilco Event Center in Itasca.*. On those nights it was a listening room. Apprehended and returned to Wichita, it wasn't long before O'Connor ran away again. His mission was always to bring entertainment for Austin, not bring Austin entertainment just because it worked in Houston or Dallas. He let me spill everything out for him and then I asked, 'What do you think?' Guestbook Condolences Memorial Donation. Thanks. It just so happened it was my stray bullet.". O'Connor claims it's a mystery to him why the deal came off the table, but he maintains the negotiation process hinged on design. For those desiring, memorials are suggested to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, 903 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, TX 78746 or at www.mlfnow.org/donate. At this point, there's no timeframe on how long Attal and O'Connor will continue working together. Even if you control a market and wind up making money, as the Ivory Tower collective did, it's often not the kind of money true empires are built on. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. "Instead of fighting each other for the same piece of pie, we were cutting the pie up.". ", "It was the holdout," says Henry Gonzalez, who first worked at the Armadillo and later stage-managed the Opera House. What nobody expected, Jones included, was O'Connor's recent invitation for Attal to begin booking La Zona Rosa. The son of Charles and Gladys (Farrell) O'Connor was born on October 14, 1949 in Appleton. The tale of Tim O'Connor starts with a Baby Doe born in Great Bend, Kansas. At the time, the only viable concert venues for major touring talent were the City Coliseum, Palmer Auditorium, and the Erwin Center. Celebrate the life of Tom O'Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home. His goal was to come out of a negotiation less battered than the other guy. AUSTIN, Texas An integral part of Texas history, Tim O'Connor, the creator of Austin Music Hall, Austin Opry House and more, passed away this summer of Hodgkin's lymphoma. "I think he likes the game too much to really be trying to get out," maintains Attal. "I'll tell you the three things I never want you to be: cold, wet, or hungry.". This was one of those nights. Memorial services will be held on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the Hilco Event Center of Itasca. If producing five nights at Madison Square Garden wasn't experience enough, O'Connor found himself immersed in a contact sport; By working closely with artists like Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne for charitable causes, he was rapidly building a national network of artists, managers, and booking agents. On my own, I'm doing one date, while they're buying 40. Young told him it was a bird nest on the ground -- he'd only need to pick up the eggs. He loved all of his family and the times they spent together. "I'm a loner," says O'Connor. If youre not prepared to put half your money in a suitcase and throw it off the tallest building, kid, you dont have what it takes to be a concert promoter.. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. There was other drama as well: He'd been caught attempting to steal a WWI cannon from the town post office. Unfortunately, O'Connor almost didn't get an opportunity to use his new Rolodex entries. "But I'm at a point in my career and life that whatever I have and haven't done, it feels right to get it out there. Support the free press, so we can support Austin. Travis Heights wouldn't be free of O'Connor until 1990. "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". He was born in Clinton County, Missouri, Nov . Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. "Tim ended up ruling the whole roost.". What do you want me to do? Seeing an opportunity, O'Connor began inviting them to play his bar in exchange for free lodging in the bungalows below. One pulled out a knife, Tim pulled out a gun. Tom married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Ford, on July 5, 1952, and they enjoyed 58 years devoted to each other. "It's tough to build momentum as an independent anymore," explains O'Connor. Moreover, O'Connor has also long been Austin's king of the private party, hosting as many 200 private events a year at his three venues. When Willies Picnic traffic backed up 11 miles after the parking lot was full, there were a lot of pissed-off Deadheads. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Jones started answering phones for Direct Events in 1993, and just three years later was La Zona Rosa's general manager. "I may not know him as well as Charlie [Jones], but I'm certain it's not the money that drives him anymore. He does it because he loves music and loves the game.". He knew that you didn't always have to make money, that you have to give great product. Unfortunately, before he could think on it harder, a night of drinking in Carmel led to another arrest; police picked up O'Connor and his buddies after neighbors reported having seen them prying at a metal cage in front of the local liquor store. "What do I want you to be?" Parking was rugged and walks were long, but you felt like you were out in the country. He was of the Catholic Faith. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. The Nelsons reached out to Austin Pets Alive! Throughout 1990-91, O'Connor drifted yet again, this time to Minneapolis to work with a group that presented stadium-sized Earth Day concerts featuring acts like Paul McCartney and REM. Tim O'Connor, longtime club owner, music entrepreneur and erstwhile promoter of Austin music, partner of Willie Nelson as a director of the famed Fourth of July picnics, has died. Who's gonna do it? He was king of the roadshow in town for a quarter century, from 1977 until his protege Charlie Jones and Charles Attal took over in 2002 with the Austin City Limits Music Festival and aggressive bookings all over town. No non-musician has had more impact on the Austin scene than Tim OConnor- and he had to leave town for two prime years in the 70s. Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Turns out O'Connor had shot a label executive with CBS Records, with whom Nelson had just signed. But he had a special connection with the pit mix Bruiser, the oldest and scrappiest of the bunch. And yet, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy large shows year-round. They did him one better, allowing him to stay in the garage apartment of their new house. His closest friends tell the story of a private man who's embraced the "Crazy Ivan" image as a front for less sinister passions: music itself and the belief that few vehicles serve and strengthen a community as well as a properly promoted concert. "That wasn't the bottom line with Tim, though. "Obviously, there's already a pattern developing," smiles O'Connor. Still, it was best for Tim to leave town for a couple years. I think Ill let you negotiate all my deals with Columbia, was Willies response. If you did your job and something went wrong anyway, Gonzalez says O'Connor would protect you from angry promoters or artists. The Backyard at Bee Cave, with its live oaks and star-speckled sky, was OConnors crown jewel. With the $60,000 those lots sold for, the Austin Opera House was up and running. OConnor owned the Backyards main building, which had a restaurant and his offices, and about half the land. Things are moving that quickly.". mother Elizabeth (Penny) O'Connor, 2 brothers, Tim O'Connor, Argyle, Texas and Kevin O'Connor and wife Laura, New Mexico, three nephews, Ryan, Matt and Jeffrey O'Connor . Mostly, the Opera House's vibe was supplied by Nelson's entourage, a constant presence at the door, in the crowd, backstage. Backyard II just couldnt accommodate sellout crowds of 7,500, like the May 11, 2011 Arcade Fire show when hundreds of ticketholders had nowhere to park and missed the show. . "Something clicked," says the 56-year-old promoter today. O'Connor says the business side of concert promotion back then was fast and loose, but not very competitive. Twitter). "Not controlling your own destiny is a distinct disadvantage," says O'Connor. "We all found ourselves together one day," says O'Connor. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this . Id sure like to play your joint, said Willie, who was growing out his hair and looking for new audiences. Even worse were the lawsuits from unpaid contractors and architects that began piling up against OConnor and Direct Events. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. "'I think I'm going to let you negotiate all my contracts with CBS.'". He graduated from St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, in 1978. starts petition, says its location is in jeopardy, Justin Theroux is supporting Austin Pets Alive! Memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. I met Tim the very first morning I spent in Austin on July 14, 1972, in front of a small folk club he owned called Castle Creek. Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. While at the San Francisco airport, after making it out of Japan without sparking an international incident, O'Connor and Nelson discussed opening a club together. Whether you know it or not, if you've seen live music in Austin over the past 20 to 25 years, you've likely given money to Tim O'Connor. "The screaming, the reputation, a lot of that was a front," asserts Gonzalez. "Anytime someone was more than 90 days behind on rent, I'd go down and take their front door off the hinges and hold it in the office until they'd settle up," O'Connor says. One night they'd be working against nuclear weaponry, the next for prison reform. Can't keep up with happenings around town? Timothy Joseph O'Connor (July 3, 1927 - April 5, 2018) was an American character actor known for his prolific work in television, although he made only a few appearances after the early 1990s. TRAPRS has been taking care of Bobbie Nelson and Yoyo Nelson over the past few weeks, arranging the dogs boarding, rehabilitation and training. "Once upon a time, we were all fighters that ruled our own little neighborhoods," says Threadgill's Eddie Wilson, who once competed with O'Connor at the Armadillo. What Jones learned from OConnors example is that you do what you say you will. It didn't, and at 22, he moved to Colorado while his family left for Atlanta. "Clubs might argue over one act, once a year or so," he says. When my lawyer got done kicking me in the leg, that's when things really went downhill," recalls O'Connor. If Bobo the Elephant wasn't message enough, O'Connor told a neighborhood meeting that if they didn't back off, he'd host Nelson's annual Fourth of July picnic in the Opera House parking lot and aim the speakers at their houses. "When Willie and I needed to deal with banks, we'd be sure to pull up in front with the bus," explains O'Connor. He went on to receive and Associates Degree from TSTC. "We had to keep taking things up a notch -- sound, promotion, overall presentation. Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". And yet, Attal says he's not waiting in the parking lot for O'Connor to show up with the paperwork. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. Tim O'Connor, longtime club owner, music entrepreneur and erstwhile promoter of Austin music, partner of Willie Nelson as a director of the famed Fourth of July picnics, has died. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. worked with TRAPRS, a trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the rescue operation. Timothy James O'Connor, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 16, 2015 with his family by his side. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. to help find a new home for them. He's equal parts Tony Soprano and Bill Graham. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. The venue was charmed from the start, with Leonard Cohen, Jimmy Cliff, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Everly Brothers, Little Feat, the Allman Brothers and a Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic that first summer. On Oct. 1, 1957, he proudly became an employee of IBM and enjoyed a career of 30 years - with 22 of them in Kansas City, MO, and 8 in San Jose, CA before retiring in Austin, TX. Few salesmen in any industry deal so long with so many customers that don't know their name. It's a move that gives Attal year-round booking clout and has already resulted in both La Zona Rosa and Stubb's paying lower prices for shows. They were blessed with two children, Thomas Michael and Anita Loraine. exceeds goal to save at-risk pups. Willie had found his man! He was surrounded by family and friends. "Why I am I here? His parents preceded him in death. Before long, Georgetown's "Only a Conversation Away" slogan became the Backyard's "Only Three Songs Away. The tale of Tim O'Connor starts with a Baby Doe born in Great Bend, Kansas. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. APA! I felt lost, without a home, he told Chris Riemenschneider of the Statesman in 1996. While most people don't care who owns the venues they visit, it could be argued that the one non-performer's name every Austin music fan should know is Tim O'Connor. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. Berating the singer for letting his encore be overrun, O'Connor began yelling. Oh, how OConnor doted on his kids Bobbie, Freda, YoYo and the rest, who inherited his magical energy, as one friend put it. Free of drugs and alcohol since 1988, Tim was addicted to the concert game, the work, the risk/reward rush, which eventually led to a slew of lawsuits and a 2013 bankruptcy. From there, he landed a job in Dallas working at various local bars and hotels. "He'd sign hundreds of dollar bills and tell the bank president he could come to whatever shows he wanted.".
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